The judge for the Pet Spotlight, a rather tired looking Kyrii, pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. Squinting slightly, he read down the list of Spotlight candidates. He cleared his voice with a slight cough and called out, "Entrant number 62579: Amika- Amikaray-"

"Amikarashui," a sweet voice chimed in. "But you may call me Ami if you prefer."

The old Kyrii raised his eyes towards the stage, and then raised one eyebrow at what he saw. In front of him stood an Aisha girl with pink fur and long black hair. She wore a plain blue blouse and skirt, and seemed rather ordinary. Most likely not cut out for a competition for the most extraordinary pets in Neopia.

"Well, Miss... Ami, was it? Please tell me a bit about yourself."

The Aisha gave a warm smile back at him and replied, "Well, to start, I'm a princess."

Uh huh, thought the old Kyrii, here we go again. He'd heard them all: cousin twice removed to Queen Fyora, King Altador's long lost son-in-law, Princess Amira's gardener's assistant. He almost rolled his eyes right then and there were it not for the sake of appearance. Even self deluded pets must be given the same respect as those who are actually important.

"Really." the Kyrii judge said, feigning a tone of interest. "What kingdom do you rule?"

"Well, I govern a small estate to the West of Shenkuu; it's a beautiful land surrounded by mountains and forests."

Darn. Normally they make some outrageous claim, like being second in line to Kreludor's throne, or the ruler of Jelly World (as if that existed). This one was good. Writing her answer in his notes, he continued his interview.

All of her responses had been relatively normal. She liked to play with her petpet Juma, pester her younger brother, shop at the NC Mall, and work on her Neohome. The Aisha spoke of how she enjoyed entering the Beauty Contest, and had even won several trophies for her species.

When she said she starred in her own comic in the Neopian Times, he just nodded his head and smiled. Granted, he hadn't had the time to read the Neopian Times since taking this job 90,324 hours ago. But it was just unbelievable that such a "star" could not be self absorbed or full of their own importance. This Aisha, while seemingly sweet and pleasant to talk to, just couldn't be all that she claimed to be. What a sad Neopet, he thought to himself.

"One last question, Miss Ami: why do you think you should win the Pet Spotlight, out of the thousands of possible applicants?" He couldn't help but smile in triumph, believing that he had finally gotten to a question that would stump her.

But the pink Aisha just continued to smile. Without hesitation she replied, "Well, I would really like to be a role model for younger Neopets. I wish to encourage manners, modesty, and kindness to others. I believe that by being in the Pet Spotlight, I can achieve that."

Ugh. Not only didn't she get flustered like he had hoped, but the sweetness was getting to the old Kyrii. He was starting to feel like he had been zapped Chocolate by the Lab Ray. He needed to wrap this up before he started to feel like being... nice to people.

Finishing his paperwork, the old Kyrii looked up to the stage and said, "Thank you, Miss Ami, for taking time from your busy schedule. You'll be hearing from us if you should win." He did his utmost best to restrain the level of sarcasm in his voice.

The Aisha girl thanked him for his time, made a small curtsy and proceeded to walk down the stage stairs. As she opened the exit doors, the Kyrii judge was startled out of his chair by loud screams.

Picking himself up from the floor, he looked up to see a huge throng of Neopets outside the Spotlight Auditorium, chanting, "Ami! Ami! Ami!" In shock he saw the pink Aisha give a smile and a small delicate wave in greeting. Two Neopets in black uniforms, another Aisha and a Kougra, met her at the door as well. Speaking in low voices, the judge tried to pick up what was being said. He could have sworn he heard one of them say, "Your Highness, your carriage awaits."

The judge walked as fast as he could to the door to see an ornate carriage, complete with four white Unis wearing gold bridles. The two Neopets in uniform were keeping the crowd at bay, but the pink Aisha wasn't bothered. She took her time to thank them and even sign some autographs. The old Kyrii's jaw dropped, unsure what to make of this. As the sweet Aisha, who apparently everything she claimed to be, drove off in her carriage, her eyes caught those of the old Kyrii. She gave another big smile and waved to him, and for the life of him he couldn't help but smile and wave back.

IMPORTANT - SUBMISSION POLICY! By
uploading or otherwise submitting any materials to Neopets, you (and your parents) are
automatically granting us permission to use those materials for free in any manner we can think
of forever throughout the universe. These materials must be created ONLY by the person
submitting them - you cannot submit someone else's work. Also, if you're under age 18, ALWAYS
check with your parents before you submit anything to us!

Search Neopets:

Select Language:

You've clicked on a link that will take you outside of Neopets.com. We do not control your destination's website, so its rules, regulations, and Meepit defense systems will be different! Are you sure you'd like to continue?

It is a journeyI must face...alone.*dramatic music*

I want to stay on Neopets,where the dangers ofMeepit invasion are taken seriously.

You've clicked on a link that will take you outside of Neopets.com. We do not control your destination's website, so its rules, regulations, and Meepit defense systems will be different! Are you sure you'd like to continue?

It is a journeyI must face...alone.*dramatic music*

I want to stay on Neopets,where the dangers ofMeepit invasion are taken seriously.

You've clicked on a link that will take you outside of Neopets.com. We do not control your destination's website, so its rules, regulations, and Meepit defense systems will be different! Are you sure you'd like to continue?

It is a journeyI must face...alone.*dramatic music*

I want to stay on Neopets,where the dangers ofMeepit invasion are taken seriously.